Wednesday, August 19, 2015

The best tip for nailing that work-life balance? Know that you’ll never get it down perfectly. It’s truly a balancing act and, just like trying to be steady on a workout ball, you might get a few seconds of ideal balance but you’ll usually be wobbling from one side to another—and that’s okay. It’s the journey towards balance, not the actual destination, that you’re really after. Still, a lot of people end up leaning very heavily towards one side or the other.

Get a little more balance by following these tips. Don’t worry if you get a little too life- or work-heavy from time to time. Just make sure you acknowledge it and make a conscious effort to get back to achieving a balance:

Give yourself time outs: Usually, this is most applicable to “workhorses,” but may apply to procrastinators and dreamers as well. If you catch yourself getting too immersed in work or life, stop, re-assess, and force yourself to take a break. For instance, if you’re guilty of checking your work email during date night, you may need to put your phone on airplane mode and leave it in another room.

Write down what’s most important: Cap the list at ten (five is even better) and write down the most important things in your life. It’s alright if one of those items is your career, but related items shouldn’t dominate the list. Keep that list with you and reflect on it whenever you feel a little one-sided.

Make time to work out: Yes, working out is a priority just like your family and career, with the added bonus that it helps you strengthen both of those relationships. Put it in your calendar if you have to.

Stop doing what’s unnecessary and what you dread: There are some things that have to be done, like laundry, that nobody likes. However, many people feel like they “have to” do some things (like maintain friendships) that are no longer viable. Cut off the dead weight.

Or make the most of commutes: Can’t get out of that long drive? Make it a positive experience. Take a new form of public transportation, bike there when you can, or listen to an audio book. Work towards minimizing commute stress.

Practice active listening: It’s much harder than you think! It’s more than just nodding along, too. With a loved one, sit side by side (eyes closed is fine) while one person simply talks and the other listens, saying nothing. It’s a great way to reconnect and only takes a couple of minutes.

Track your time: For at least one week, write down everything you do in a day, noting if it’s work- or fun-based. You’ll quickly see if there are any dangerous trends and probably will find a lot of wasted time you can make better use of.

Learn to say no: Americans are really good at saying yes—yes to working late, taking on more work, and other things that aren’t healthy. Put yourself and your loved ones first more often.

Define your regrets: If you were given 24 hours to live, right now, what would you regret? Write down those regrets. You’ll be able to quickly identify what really matters and start working towards those goals.

Work-life balance is far from easy and something everyone struggles with, whether they’re a CEO, stay at home parent, or entrepreneur. However, you can get closer to balance. It takes conscious dedication, and today is a great day to start.

Secrets from a Temporary Staffing Professional: Getting it All Done!

Let’s face it we all want more time in our life to get more done, be more, do more and have more. The thing is, we are all given the same 24 hours in a day as everyone else. So why is it then that some people are just so much more efficient at squeezing more out of every moment of every day?

Below you will find 24 great strategies you can employ today to save you more time – if you implement them, of course.

1. Get up an hour earlier.

2. Use Sunday evening for planning the week.

3. Say no. (the power of constraints). Ignore. Focus only on the thing you’re looking to achieve.

4. Get a cleaner and stop spending your precious hours on this task each week (your time is worth a lot more)

5. Turn off your emails on your phone

6. Use a simple to-do-list like TeuxDeux and only put THREE things on it to get done each day

7. Plan your day according to the most important, biggest task, not the smallest and easiest.

8. Avoid meetings at all cost. If you have to go have one specific outcome in mind

9. Know what the next step is at the end of every conversation

10. Use Leechblock (Firefox Extension) or Nanny (Google Chrome) to block out times when you can’t access social media and other distracting sites

11. Set a timer to go off at 30 minute intervals to focus on one activity and take a short 1 minute break to refocus

12. Take a proper break after 2 hours for 10-20 minutes and dance to your fave song, do some pushups, get out in the fresh air

13. Ask yourself “is what I’m doing right now getting me closer to what I want to achieve.

14. Know what you’re looking to achieve – what does finished look like?

15. Play motivating upbeat music while working to keep your energy levels high

16. Keep an idea book to dump your distractions in, and come back to them a week later

17. Keep a journal of WHAT you have achieved – either in a notebook or I recommend online journal Penzu

18. Work out what is important and what isn’t

19. Stop procrastinating and just DO it!

20. Throw out the TV – literally bury it in your back garden

21. Turn off the internet. If you’re writing or creating go to a coffee shop that has no internet

22. Outsource – get help using oDesk and Elance, and have someone else design your blog in 2 days instead of you taking 3 weeks

23. Don’t say should, say “I will”. Think like Yoda `There is no try, there is only do or do not’

24. Don’t answer the phone. Literally. If it’s important they’ll leave a message.

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About Me

Professional:
I'm 10 Years experienced IT professional, Right now in Microsoft as consultant. Previously with Capgemini, Honeywell and HCL. I have done freelancing. My basic profession is Software Architect. My interests are Graphics design and Photography.
Certifications:
I hold PMP, Six Sigma Green Belt, Microsoft and CCNA Certifications.
Academic:
All my schooling life was spent in Coimbatore and I have good friends for life. I completed my post graduate in computers(MCA). Plus a lot of self learning, inspirations and perspiration are the ingredients of the person what i am now.
Personal Life:
I am a simple person and proud son of Coimbatore. I studied and grew up there. I lost my father at young age. My mom is a proud home-maker and the greatest cook on the earth. My wife and sister are proud home makers. My kiddo in her junior school.
Finally:
I am a film buff and like to travel a lot. I visited countries United States of America, Norway and United Kingdom. I believe in honesty after learning a lot of lessons the hard way around. I love to read books & articles, Definitely not journals. :)